TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)" - Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band (1978)
"Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)" - Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band (1978)
Vocals are a crisscross between Dr. John, Tom Waits, and Wolfman Jack. The music is trippy and freaky and sometimes beautiful. And I dig the surprises. There was a homemade quilt I saw while helping set up for the annual Quilt Bingo this morning. Nothing specific or themed about it at all. Just a patchwork. Strange, yet oddly compelling. This is "Shiny Beast..." There are things going on that seem somehow out of place. But they are not. Everything is right where they belong.
"Shiny Beast..." is a great example of what music fans like to call...a grower. And this is a grower in every sense of the word. Each spin draws different sensations and observations. Sure, Beefheart is an acquired taste. Many of the great artists are. I'm not in love with the guy or anything, but I pull for him. I'm always curious about what the next album I find will sound like. I guess that's why I keep picking'em up. This was Captain Beefheart's 10th album.
"Shiny Beast..." (back)
Favorites include "Owed T' Alex"...an edgy force that pulled me right in. That's Beefheart's harmonica you hear. The menacing and unbalanced "Bat Chain Puller" is just killer and was inspired by the hypnotic rhythms of Van Vliet's windshield wipers. "Tropical Hot Dog Night" is good time fun, and definitely not cheap. The Magic Band has come to take names all through this album.
This is an og copy with a ✲ stamp in the runouts signifying an LA pressing. All the artwork on the album and sleeve is from Don Van Vliet's (The Captain ) own hand. I hadn't noticed it at first, but on the back cover, one of his drawings was left on a brown paper sack. The album is..."Dedicated to all conservation & wildlife organizations everywhere."
"Shiny Beast..." (front / back sleeve)
(Warner Bros. Records label)
Cat #
BSK-3256
SIDE A DEADWAX
BSK-1-3256-LW2 ∙∙ 1 ✲
SIDE B DEADWAX
BSK-2-3256-LW3 ∙ 1 ✲
"Bat Chain Puller" - Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band / "Shiny Beast..." (1978)
TRACKS
A1 "The Floppy Boot Stomp" 3:51
A2 "Tropical Hot Dog Night" 4:48
A3 "Ice Rose" 3:27
A4 "Harry Irene" 3:42
A5 "You Know You're A Man" 3:13
A6 "Bat Chain Puller" 5:26
B1 "When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy" 5:03
B2 "Owed T' Alex" 4:04
B3 "Candle Mambo" 3:23
B4 "Love Lies" 5:00
B5 "Suction Prints" 4:20
B6 "Apes-Ma" 0:38
PERSONNEL:
Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) – vocals, harmonica, soprano sax, whistling
Jeff Moris Tepper – slide guitar, guitar, spell guitar
Bruce Lambourne Fowler – trombone, air bass
Eric Drew Feldman – synthesizer, Rhodes piano, grand piano, bass
Richard Redus – slide guitar, bottleneck guitar, guitar, accordion, fretless bass
Robert Arthur Williams – drums, percussion
Art Tripp III – marimba, additional percussion
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